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Sunday, December 18, 2011

It's the final countdown! "Christmas a week away!" Name that song and you get a prize (of feeling good that you know that song). Things might be revving up a bit around our homesteads as we prepare to celebrate Jesus's birthday (I have a couple crochet pieces that are waiting for me to finish after writing this menu), but with a little bit of planning, we can keep things simple and nourishing, distancing ourselves from falling into temptation to buy toxic convenience food. Attending lots of Standard American Diet get-togethers? Be extra vigilant to eat well at home, drink lots of water, and eat more protein. Also, with all the refined sugar and flour being served and breaking down our immune systems, now is a good time to start taking (or be faithful to taking) cod liver oil and enjoying lots of bone broth to strengthen your immune system. With this pregnancy especially, I really have to fill my meals with protein or my body screams at me. Here's what's happening in my kitchen this advent week:

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

A couple weeks ago, we bundled up a lot more than usual and made our way to the snowy forrest with some friends, tree permit in hand.

We hunted and gathered this year's Christmas tree. On the way home, we stopped at a little country cafe to warm up with some hot chocolate. The kids spotted a sign on a thrift store next door and shrieked, "Free kittens!" Then came the big, begging eyes and pleads to take them home. Once I saw my husband take one up in his arms, I knew it was all over. We were getting kittens.

After all, we were looking for a couple barn cats and these were already vaccinated, wormed, and free. We signed the papers and brought them home. They are too small to be out in that barn just yet, so they are temporarily in our tiny cabin, receiving the royal treatment and being included in every moment.

In all honesty, in this season of life, I don't want any animals that don't serve a function. Also, I don't want my home to smell like cat, so I've kept my distance while they're house cats. But they've grown on me.

They've become extremely affectionate to everyone in the family (even the little ones who, well, tend to over-love them) and toward each other. I fear if they don't get out to that barn soon, they might wiggle their way into our hearts a little too much and become house cats. So out they go in the daytime, and in they come to the house at night. For now. The barn is in your future, dear Christmas kitties. But we enjoy your company for now.

Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. If you'd like it a little warm, let it blend for a minute or two. There will be a nice froth on the top. If you're serving it right away, you might want to spoon the froth off the top and add it to each cup for a nice finish.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Do you grow your own produce or get a produce box? We are working toward growing our our produce, but for now we are very grateful to get a box of large organic produce each week that forces encourages us to eat lots of in-season goodness, and to try things I wouldn't normally buy (like collard and mustard greens). This is how we're enjoying our box this week:

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

There are oh so many butternut squash soup recipes out there to choose from. So why add another one? Because I've yet to find one I like more than this (in complete humility, of course). Tehe. Honestly, you can use any winter squash in this soup (pumpkin, acorn... just not spaghetti) as long as it's been roasted. This soup can be made silky smooth if you purée it in a high-speed blender like a Vita-Mix. I just used a basic immersion blender for this batch, hence the lumpy look. Don't get me wrong, though. It still goes down smoothly. Like buttuh.

Celtic sea salt and pepper to taste (about 1 tsp. each is what I usually use)

Preheat oven to 350. Cut ends off squash and cut in half lengthwise. Spoon out seeds and stringy membranes. Put halves flat-side-down in a cooking dish with about 1/2 cup water in it. Bake about 45 minutes or until the meat is scoopable with a spoon.

While squash bakes, melt cooking fat in a soup pot. Add onions and sauté until translucent.

Add cooked squash to the onions, then the chicken stock, apple cider, and white wine. Cover and bring to a boil. Spoon out any foam that comes to the surface and add nutmeg, thyme, and red pepper flakes to the soup. Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Turn the heat off and add garlic, cream cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix well and use a blender to purée. Serve warm in bowls and sprinkle some nutmeg on top.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

It might be the first of December, but if you haven't started any handmade gifts, don't despair! There's still time. Even if you're only able to craft one or two gifts, they will be cherished by the one who receives them, and that just feels good. Taking some time to sit and work with my hands, thinking of the person I'm making a present for, not only brings joy and peace to my spirit, it's a refreshing approach to the "hustle and bustle" of the holidays. Let's get right to it then, shall we? Here are some things I've done in Christmases past (I can't show you what I'm working on this year; I ain't no spoiler):

We made a few of these snowflake trees to decorate our house and to give as hostess gifts at Christmas parties. Each one took all of 15 minutes to make. Find the instructions here. Cost: about 50 cents

Still have some pumpkins hanging around? We grew several one year, and I brined the seeds (soaked them in water with 1 Tablespoon Celtic sea salt overnight) and dehydrated them at 104º to make them crispy but preserved their enzymes, then tossed them in olive oil and a mixture of seasonings (I think I used a salad dressing mix). You can include a cute little note with ideas of what to put them in (eat them by the handful, toss some in salads...) Cost: about $1 for spices and packaging

Every year, we gather walnuts. Lots and lots of walnuts. After shelling, we soaked them in salt water (see above) for 12-24 hours, dehydrated them, and caramelized them. Oh my. They were soverygood. To caramelize the nuts, simply melt 1/4 cup butter with 1/2 cup sugar (muscovado, turbinado, coconut sugar {GAPS-friendly!}, honey, or maple syrup work best), 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a large skillet, add 1 1/2 cups walnuts, and stir on medium/high for 5-7 minutes or until they look really coated and smell delicious. Store in an airtight container up to two weeks on the countertop before giving them, or in the freezer for a couple months). These are super delicious by themselves or tossed in salads, on top of a squash or sweet potato dish, with ice cream, brownies, cakes... The possibilities are endless, I tell you. Cost of gift: about $1 per gift for caramelizing supplies and packaging

Did you save some seeds from your garden? Make some seed packets out of paper bags (find instructions here). Doodle little sketches of the plants with simple instructions on the back, or you could always tape pictures of the plants on the packets. I found these little Christmas pails at Target for $1 to "wrap" them in. Cost of gift: $1 for the pail

Ever had homemade vanilla extract? It is thee best. Treat that special cook in your life to some. It's getting a little late for this, but what you can do is fill little glass jars this recipe and include a tag when to start using it (it gets better with time, but it should at least sit in a cupboard for two months). Once the vanilla extract it ready, your gift recipients can scrape the beans from the vanilla pod to flavor ice cream, tea, coffee, whipped cream, or just about any baked good. Cost: about $2 per jar

Know how to crochet? I just learned last year and now I'm completely addicted. Google a "how to crochet" video if you don't know how (they even have them for fellow lefties). I used a double stitch to make this cowl for my daughter (a very silly picture of her). Cowls are faster to make than scarves because they don't need to be as long and you don't have to fringe them. My daughter likes them better than scarves because they don't unwind and are super snuggly and warm. You can probably find a pattern somewhere, but they're so easy, I just made one up. Cost: I spent $5 for a skien of organic yarn made in the USA

Doodle stitching is one of my favorite gifts to give. What's doodle stitching, you ask? Find out here, but here are a couple things I made:

I was so intimidated at the thought of making handmade gifts. What if they come out ridiculous or have no taste? I am so very glad I pushed through. What a confidence booster and a sense of accomplishment when the projects come out good (which is about 90% of the time, so don't freak, the odds are good). And what a difference sitting down and being creative makes opposed to surrounding myself with disgruntled crowds and standing in huge lines. I choose peace! If I can do handmade, you can too. It's not too late! Gather supplies, put the kids to bed, watch a Christmas movie with a cuppa, and get started!